--- title: "AI Quick Tips 16: Use close-ended prompts for specific answers" description: How to use close-ended prompts for precise answers in AI interactions. 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[Human + AI Playbook Template](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/human-ai-playbook) - [NotebookLM Masterclass](https://maven.com/thoughts-brewing-llc/learn-notebooklm-in-a-weekend-2-cohort) - [Fractional COO/CTO Services](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/fractional-coo/cto-services) - [Contact](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/contact) What are you looking for? # AI Quick Tips 16: Use close-ended prompts for specific answers June 25, 2024 ![Picture of Damien Griffin](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/20cb51297a34e5d5d7c3362ec1fae755) [Damien Griffin](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/author/damien) ![AI Quick Tips](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/hubfs/AI%20Quick%20Tips-1.jpg) Sometimes, you aren’t using ChatGPT-type tools for creativity. Sometimes, you have a focused situation and want the “correct” answer.   In these cases, a close-ended question is a better choice.   Sidebar, is it “close-ended” or “closed-ended”?  I’ve seen both and I don’t know which is right.  I digress… Close(d)-ended questions are sometimes frowned upon in academic or conversational settings because they only have a small range of answers (i.e. yes or no) and don’t promote creative thinking or elaboration.  Sometimes you’re looking for that specific answer though.   If that’s the case, make sure that it is clear in your prompt.   Like this - How many countries are there in South America? - What year was (something)? - What is the Kelvin equivalent of 100 degrees Celsius? - What day of the week was March 24, 1932? - Etc. You can still add more context to your prompts like personas, output formats, etc. After you set the stage, make sure that your question is clear.  ChatGPT tends to default to long-winded answers and if you give it a chance it will likely find a way.   You can also add something like - “Only provide the answer to the question.  Do not elaborate” It doesn’t always work but sometimes it does. As always, if you don’t get the output that you are looking for, send a follow-up prompt that specifies what was missing and reiterate what you would like to see.   --- #### Watch Video   ### Share: [Share on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/ai-quick-tips-use-close-ended-prompts-for-specific-answers&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook) [Share on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/ai-quick-tips-use-close-ended-prompts-for-specific-answers&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin) [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/ai-quick-tips-use-close-ended-prompts-for-specific-answers&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&url=https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/ai-quick-tips-use-close-ended-prompts-for-specific-answers&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&source=tweetbutton&text=AI%20Quick%20Tips%2016:%20Use%20close-ended%20prompts%20for%20specific%20answers) [AI Quick Tips](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/tag/ai-quick-tips), [AI](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/tag/ai), [Prompt Engineering](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/tag/prompt-engineering), [ChatGPT](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/tag/chatgpt), [Beginner](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/tag/beginner) ## Comments ## Related posts ##### Menu - [Home](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/home) - [About](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/about) - [Blog](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog) - [AI Training/Courses](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/courses) - [Fractional COO/CTO Services](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/fractional-coo/cto-services) - [Contact](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/contact) [Privacy Policy](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/privacy-policy)   |  [ Terms of Use](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/terms-of-use)    |   Herndon, VA   |   703-296-9912   |   ©2022-2026 Copyright Thoughts Brewing, LLC [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/thoughts-brewing-llc) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.youtube.com/@thoughtsbrewingllc) [Find us on Google](https://g.co/kgs/YhpnVFp) [Find us on Yelp](https://www.yelp.com/biz/thoughts-brewing-herndon) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/thoughtsbrewingllc) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Damien Griffin", "url" : "https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/author/damien" }, "dateModified" : "2026-08-12T15:57:42.603Z", "datePublished" : "2024-06-25T15:10:31.000Z", "headline" : "AI Quick Tips 16: Use close-ended prompts for specific answers", "image" : [ "https://thoughtsbrewing.com/hubfs/AI%20Quick%20Tips-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/ai-quick-tips-use-close-ended-prompts-for-specific-answers", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://thoughtsbrewing.com/hubfs/Thoughts%20Brewing%20Logo_Round_Final_Light%20Blue_Transparent%20Background-1.png" }, "name" : "Thoughts Brewing, LLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "United States of America", "addressLocality" : "Herndon", "addressRegion" : "Virginia", "postalCode" : "20170", "streetAddress" : "205 Van Buren Street, Suite 120" }, "email" : "contact@thoughtsbrewing.com", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://24461783.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/24461783/Thoughts%20Brewing%20Logo_Round_Final_Light%20Blue_Transparent%20Background-1.png" }, "name" : "Thoughts Brewing, LLC", "telephone" : "703-296-9912", "url" : "thoughtsbrewing.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "abstract" : "How to use close-ended prompts for precise answers in AI interactions. Discover tips for crafting clear questions and refining outputs effectively.", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Damien Griffin" }, "dateModified" : "12 Aug 2026, 15:57", "datePublished" : "2024-06-25 15:10:31", "headline" : "AI Quick Tips 16: Use close-ended prompts for specific answers", "image" : "https://24461783.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/24461783/AI%20Quick%20Tips-1.jpg", "inLanguage" : "en", "keywords" : "[AI Quick Tips, AI, Prompt Engineering, ChatGPT, Beginner]", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@type" : "WebPage" }, "name" : "AI Quick Tips 16: Use close-ended prompts for specific answers", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://24461783.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/24461783/Thoughts%20Brewing%20Logo_Round_Final_Light%20Blue_Transparent%20Background-1.png" }, "name" : "Thoughts Brewing, LLC" }, "text" : "Sometimes, you aren’t using ChatGPT-type tools for creativity. Sometimes, you have a focused situation and want the “correct” answer. In these cases, a close-ended question is a better choice. Sidebar, is it “close-ended” or “closed-ended”? I’ve seen both and I don’t know which is right. I digress… Close(d)-ended questions are sometimes frowned upon in academic or conversational settings because they only have a small range of answers (i.e. yes or no) and don’t promote creative thinking or elaboration. Sometimes you’re looking for that specific answer though. If that’s the case, make sure that it is clear in your prompt. Like this How many countries are there in South America? What year was (something)? What is the Kelvin equivalent of 100 degrees Celsius? What day of the week was March 24, 1932? Etc. You can still add more context to your prompts like personas, output formats, etc. After you set the stage, make sure that your question is clear. ChatGPT tends to default to long-winded answers and if you give it a chance it will likely find a way. You can also add something like - “Only provide the answer to the question. Do not elaborate” It doesn’t always work but sometimes it does. As always, if you don’t get the output that you are looking for, send a follow-up prompt that specifies what was missing and reiterate what you would like to see. Watch Video", "url" : "https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/ai-quick-tips-use-close-ended-prompts-for-specific-answers" } ```